Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Funny as a crutch

I mentioned in a previous post how, in the internet personals, men claim they’re looking for someone fun and that pretty much left me out as it’s been a few decades since anyone described me as fun. Funny, yes. The consensus seems to be that although I haven’t much else left, at least I haven’t lost my sense of humour. A recent study at McMaster University (oh those wacky Canadians!) suggests I shouldn’t take this as a compliment. According to this study, men are looking for a partner who laughs at and appreciates their jokes, not one who makes the jokes. I’ve always gravitated towards comedy. If given a choice between watching a sitcom or a drama, I’ll choose the sitcom. But I’m also very philosophical and retrospective, which means I don’t lol much. Like at all. I might chuckle once or twice a week. That’s about it. So unless you’re Victor Meldrew and have just mistaken the neighbour’s dachshund for a cordless phone, I’m not going to laugh at you.Here are the main points of the study:

Women want a man who is a humour generator, while men seek a humour appreciator.

To a woman, “sense of humour” means someone who makes her laugh. To a man, a sense of humour means someone who appreciates his jokes.

Women choose men who produce humour 62% of the time. Men choose women who appreciate their humour 65% of the time.

Men use humour to compete. Women use humour to bond.

A man thinks a woman is interested in him if she laughs at his jokes.

The more a girl giggles at a man, the more he wants to date her.

If a man laughs at a woman, it’s unrelated to whether he’s interested in her or not.

Men feel threatened by funny women.

Men who appreciate their partner's humour are usually more secure, mature and educated than the average guy.

When it comes to friendships, men like to be around women who produce humour. When it comes to relationships, they only like women who laugh at their jokes.